Emmanuel Macron holds talks to convince Florentino Pérez to release Kylian Mbappé

Emmanuel Macron is proving persistent. After several public declarations, the French President met Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez face-to-face on Tuesday in an attempt to convince the La Liga giants to release Kylian Mbappé (25) for the upcoming Olympic Games. 

If Macron were to get his way, Mbappé would be in for a busy summer. The France captain’s move to Real Madrid is yet to be confirmed, but it is thought to only be a matter of time. The Paris Saint-Germain forward has previously stated that he wants his future to be resolved before the start of the Euros in mid-June. Les Bleus will be expected to go deep into that tournament but that may not be the only international tournament in which Mbappé competes this summer. 

The Olympic Games will be held in Paris this summer, and whilst Mbappé has previously stated that competing in the tournament would be a “dream”, Real Madrid have already informed the FFF that they won’t be releasing their players. It is their right to do so as the Olympic football tournament does not fall within the FIFA calendar. 

But Macron is not taking no for an answer. According to L’Équipe, Macron and Pérez spoke during a celebration of FIFA’s 120-year history at the Élysée Palace in Paris on Monday. Pérez found himself quickly encircled by Macron, but also the President of the FFF, Philippe Diallo as well as France’s manager for the tournament, Thierry Henry. 

Macron and Pérez then spoke one-on-one for five minutes in order to convince Real Madrid to release Mbappé for the tournament. Whilst the “door is not completely closed”, according to someone close to the negotiations, it is not completely open either. Real Madrid sources maintain that Mbappé will not be allowed to compete in the